Home Cooking

Yesterday, I made meatballs with extra lean ground beef and they came out pretty good.  I based it on a Food Network recipe.  Robert always likes my meatballs, but he also makes really delicious ones, and we have differing opinions as to ingredients and methods.  So I like to make them when I'm by myself; I can be creative with no interference! 

Above image belongs to myspicesage.com



I also made vanilla ice cream, using the cooked custard base method with Lactaid (easier to digest) milk and a really good quality vanilla bean that my favorite spice mail order source, Spice Sage, gave me as a freebie.  I had ordered a few pounds of citric acid, which I use to tackle cleaning problems caused by the combination of hard water and the "new" phosphate-free detergents.  (The citric acid is food-grade and can also be used as a lemony flavorant and preservative)  With that order, they sent me EIGHT, fresh, plump, moist, Madagascar vanilla bean pods for free!  Those would have cost $10 EACH at the local grocer and they would have been all dried out and old, because obviously, no one buys them at that price, when you could simply use extract instead.  I took the scraped and partially "spent" pod and stuck it in a clean amber spice bottle and filled the container with rum.  Probably won't be as strong as regular commercial extract, but after a few days or weeks, I should have some vanilla essence and will have made the most of my spicy windfall. 
Made a loaf of white bread from scratch today - hand kneaded (I used disposable gloves) - no bread machine or mixer.  I don't have a dough hook for my 50 year old Hamilton Beech stand mixer, and I thought, I shouldn't need a $300 Kitchenaid to make a loaf of bread.  Bonus, there's enough dough left over for a second loaf in the freezer.  Even though I used some "premium" ingredients to make it tastier and healthier, it was very inexpensive to make.  Not as much work as I thought, though like all baking, the clean up is the worst job.  Here's the recipe:
White bread recipe

Photo from the thefreshloaf.com

Why white bread?  For something for Robert's lunches without having to pay $3+ for a loaf full of corn syrup and chemicals.  I pack him lunch and supper, as he works during both of those mealtimes - ten to twelve hours.  Sometimes he gets fast food or takes a frozen dinner instead, but I try to pack something homemade whenever possible. 

Tonight or tomorrow, I will make Alton Brown's dough for pocket pies.  Not sure what I will put in the pies, but the dough works for savory or sweet things.  Any sort of fruit puree, jam or jelly, or leftover stew or chili would work.  Again, I think this will be a good take-to-work item, a sort of homemade fast food.

Loss

I just learned that our friend Daniel Smith (a/k/a Zaph) passed away in December.  His mom, Millie (Carmela Smith of Dunedin) called Robert to let him know.  The Memorial Service will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, February 6, 2012 at Our Lady of Lourdes in Dunedin.

Zaph was a good friend that we both met through the UPCS singles group.  He was the DJ at several of our dances and cooked and helped in any way he could at events.  He was the one who encouraged Robert to call me for a date, about a month after Robert had joined the group. So, he was there with Robert and me from the very beginning of our relationship and even was the DJ for our wedding.  He treated us and other friends to his excellent gourmet cooking at his home several times.   He was a good friend to Robert and me and will be greatly missed.

We tried to keep in touch, but when we moved to Pasco and he became ill,  we didn’t see each other that much.  Zaph and Millie came to Dad Groening’s memorial service in November, even though it was quite a struggle for him as he was battling cancer.  Who knew that his funeral would be so soon after?

A caring and talented person, Daniel leaves us too soon. 

Zaph once told me that his favorite prayer was the Memorare.

“Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.”

Talking about the weather

Went to the grocery store today.  It's a store near my home and the workers there are very friendly.  A cute-as-a-button young lady offered to take my groceries out to the car.  In the past, I rarely accepted, but now, I usually do.  It's a bit easier for me - I'm going to have to lug the bags at home and put everything away - plus I figure the employees probably don't mind the stroll in the Florida sunshine.

So, we talked about the weather. It was cold this morning; I'd say in the 40's and we had the heat on in the house.  By ten, it was a perfect morning of bright blue sky, light breeze with a temperature around 65.  So, we got to talking about how very cold and snowy much of the North was right at that moment.  The girl said, yes, I know, my boyfriend's from Montana.  "Have you visited his family there?" I asked.  "No, but..." she replied. 

Seems her boyfriend found a job in Montana, and she is moving there with him next month!  No marriage plans -- yet -- but she does plan to go to college and get a job there.  She's going to miss Florida, especially her job for one of the better grocery stores for five years - the company doesn't have any stores in that part of the country.  She sounded excited and I wished her the best, but inside my maternal instincts, and memories of my own adventures and mistakes, were kicking into high gear.

The petite lady looked like a high school freshman, maybe a hundred pounds, wore her hair in braids and had braces on her teeth.  But by the way she spoke and carried herself, and after learning of her years of work experience, I knew she had to be closer to twenty. So really not too young to leave the nest.  But a Florida girl  - in Montana?  She's never seen snow before!  Is there even a city in the whole state as big as Tampa or Clearwater?  To be with a boy?  Who hasn't proposed? 

This is why I enjoy talking to young people who are full of hopes and dreams.  I see myself and my friends in them.  I see my nieces and friends' children and get a taste of what their parents must be experiencing.  I'd say life is good for me in general, but some of the best moments in life have to be those when we were young and all the possiblities were ahead of us, waiting to unfold. 

Sunny Weather

Click here to see my Scoop.it mag <<It's a Dog's Life>>
http://www.scoop.it/t/itsadogslife/

We are enjoying beautiful bright blue skies and sunshine here in Florida today, but it is far from beach weather.  We are expected to have sustained freezing temperatures for most of tonight and tomorrow night.  Threw a sheet over our three-foot high orange tree, hoping we don't lose it.  Sent Robert to work with hot chocolate in his thermos and extra-warm clothing. 

We took our puppy Sunshine to the dog park yesterday.  She was very popular with the boys!  We can't figure out why the male dogs are so attracted to her - she is spayed, so she can't go into "heat" or produce the kind of scent that attracts mates.  I guess she is just so cute the guys find her irresistible!  I also think it's because she doesn't know how to defend herself from their advances - and they know that!  She's very submissive (with everyone except us); not a fighter. Fortunately, none of the dogs were aggressive or really "serious" about what they were trying to do - a word from their people or from us was enough to discourage them - at least for a few minutes and then they'd have to be reminded again.

A large boxer puppy must have mistaken me for "his" person, because he made a beeline for me, jumped right up and gave me a slurpy kiss on the face! Good thing I'm not afraid of dogs and he was a really nice pup.  Things are very relaxed at the park with all the pooches off-leash.  One assumes that people won't bring really aggressive or sick dogs there (rules have been established for their removal, just in case).

Sunshine is 42 pounds now and over 8 months old.  You can see the leash in this picture is getting frayed from her chewing and we are walking her on a harness to minimize pulling.  Bought her a rope-and-nylon flying disk, which she destroyed within minutes.  Fortunately, Pet Supplies Plus took it back and we exchanged it for a super-tough-rope-tug.

Coincidence

We went to the post office today, to submit an official notice of Robert's father's death and to have his mail forwarded to us.  As we were talking to the postal worker, another customer, who looked vaguely familiar, silently handed us the holy card shown here; the man gave one to everyone he passed. 

As you can see, the prayer is for souls of the deceased, attributed to St. Gertrude.  Coincidentally, Gertrude was Robert's paternal grandmother's name.  So, receiving this card today was in one sense a bit eerie, but in another way a blessing and a connection with the eternal.

Antics

Sunshine is getting into mischief again! She stole my eyeglasses right out of my lap and zoomed out the doggie door with them! After galloping and dancing about with them, she shook them hard enough to pop one of the lenses out. I found the lens right away, but then I couldn't find the rest of the glasses. With delight in her eyes for having fooled me, Sunshine jumped in the puppy pool and dried off in the cooled ashes of our fire pit.

I put Sunshine in her crate and searched through grass, sand and pine needles in my backyard for my glasses - on and off for a couple of hours! Periodically took her on a leash, made her sniff the lens and told her to go "FIND!" the glasses. She followed around scent trails like crazy, but I seriously doubt she knew what I really wanted her to do! She's only six months old and I don't even know how to properly teach a dog to search. Nor did she know why I was so mad and why I made her sit on the back porch alone while I prepared and ate lunch.

Finally, I did another sweep of the yard on my own and spotted the glasses. Undamaged for the most part and the errant lens popped in easily. Learned that searching for golden-wire-rimmed glasses in a pile of pine needles is pretty much identical to finding a needle in a haystack. I'm really grateful that I didn't find them crunching under my foot or lawnmower.

Downtown New Port Richey

This morning I took a little trip to downtown New Port Richey on job-search related business and it was quite an adventure. To prepare, I looked up the directions on Google Maps, to get a good idea of the location and best way to go. Instead of taking the printout, I entered the address in my Tom-Tom GPS device. Pretty much a straight shot to downtown with few turns and an estimated twenty-two minute drive.

What Google, Tom-Tom and I didn't realize is that part of Main Street is closed today due to road repairs - local friends, take note! Ignored the first sign that mentioned something about it, missed the detour, and ended up at a roadblock. I am finally, after four years in this town, getting used to the layout, and at least where I was headed was right near the library. So, after going around a different block, I got there, using up the extra time I had given myself just for these kinds of unexpected delays.

Pulled my car into a parallel parking space; thank goodness there were two empty spaces together so it was an hassle-free task. Then, I was very fortunate to meet (drum roll) "the biggest talent to live in this city since Gloria Swanson!" At least that the man sitting on the bus bench told me as I passed him. He had a guitar and was drinking an unknown beverage from a shiny aluminum can. He was speaking (shouting) to all passersby and was clearly a bit delusional or daft. At least he wasn't angry or mean, and he did know his history, because Gloria Swanson really did make her home in New Port Richey years ago.

Went to Connections, a local non-profit which helps people find jobs. I am returning Monday for an informational meeting. As I returned to my car, less than a block away, I encountered another colorful local. A man was riding a bike with his very friendly, curious and powerful pit-bull terrier mix - on a bungee cord instead of a normal leash or bike leash attachment. Boing! In his exuberance to meet me (he truly was not acting aggressive), he pulled his bicycling owner down on the ground!

After that bit of excitement, I was treated to a laugh on the way home. Drove by a pet grooming business called "Doggy Styles," and their sign which states the slogan, "We do cats, too!" When I got home, wondering if the double-entendre was intended or simply unfortunate, I looked them up online. Yet another slogan, "Do it Doggy Styles or don't do it all!" And they are located on -- Congress Street.

Took my puppy Sunshine to the coffee shop with me, thinking that she and I could sit outside while I enjoyed a cup of coffee. In fact, I had asked one of the owners last week if it was okay to sit in their outdoor area with a dog and she said we were welcome and loved the idea.

So, knowing that I shouldn't bring a dog inside the shop, and not wanting Sunshine to stay even a couple minutes in the car in 90 degree weather,

while I got my coffee, I tied her to one of their outdoor wrought-iron-looking tables. After two minutes, I hadn't placed my order yet, but I thought I had better go check on puppy. Imagine my shock when Sunny was not there! And neither was the table!

I called, "Sunshine," and, "Sunny," but she did not come. A young family helped me look and the dad even went into the back parking lot and asked a trucker (who was unloading dog food for the neighboring pet store) if he had seen her. Sunshine was nowhere in sight. How far could she have gone with her leash tied to a TABLE? Someone must have seen her! How far could she have gone, dragging something that large behind her? She is only four months old and weighs twenty-two pounds!

Well, one of the coffee shop employees was kind enough to come out and help me look - and spotted the collapsible table flat on the ground behind a nearby car in the parking lot. There was Sunshine, still tied to the table, scared to death and hiding under the car! She wouldn't come out in spite of coaxing and I didn't have any dog treats on me. I had to drag her out!

Next, I picked her up and hugged her, and she clung to me, so glad to see her "mama." It must have been scary when that table fell and then followed her!

I should have learned this lesson from reading "Marley & Me," and from having seen the movie, but I guess I had to learn the hard way!

Sunshine is home and happy now.

What's so great about Lemi Shine?

Lemi Shine is a dishwasher detergent additive that has saved me hundreds of dollars! How is that possible? I was ready to ditch my four year old dishwasher before I found this product.

I live in Pasco County, Florida and have hard well water. I thought a water softener would be all I needed to have clean dishes, clothes and appliances. After a couple of years in my new home, I noticed that my dishes were not getting clean any longer, even though I was using the same enzyme-containing dishwasher detergent and a rinse aid and the same treated water. It sure looked like my basic building-contracter-selected (cheap) dishwasher was already giving up the ghost.

The film on my glassware was absolutely disgusting and nothing would remove it. I tried hand-scrubbing and soaking in various cleaning agents to no avail. Ugh, who wants to serve a guest or family member a drink in a glass that looks like it has never been washed? So, I did some reading and learned that recent environmental regulations had completely changed the formulation of nearly all available dishwasher detergents. Previously, phosphates did much of the cleaning work; now they are banned in enough places that it isn't really worth manufacturing the kind containing phosphates.

Then I found out about Lemi Shine. It contains citric acid and other ingredients that are safe for the environment. You use it alone or in conjuction with your favorite dishwasher detergent. I used it in an empty cycle to clean my machine, and then ran a load of clouded glassware. They emerged sparkling! I was thrilled!

Lemi Shine has other uses which are posted on its website: http://www.lemishine.com/. It is in a very convenient plastic container; it pours easily and you don't have to worry about getting a splash of water on it, unlike the cardboard containers used for most powdered detergents. I buy mine at Publix; check the Lemi Shine website of Facebook page to see where you can buy it. I highly recommend Lemi Shine!

p.s. Full disclosure: If you like my blog post, Lemi Shine may consider giving me some free product as a reward for sharing my opinion.

Sunshine on a rainy day

Well, after a week of not feeling well and another week of limping around with a foot injury (that's another story!) -- I went back to the gym today! After a half an hour of treadmill cardio, Anytime Fitness Trainer Brett ran me through my strength training paces. It looked simple, but he worked me to capacity and I know I'm going to be feeling it tomorrow! Next time for strength training is Saturday, but I'm planning to do cardio every day. I really need it. Was surprised that as little as I've done in the past couple of weeks, my upper body strength was a bit improved; I attribute that to picking up puppy so often - she gained 5 pounds in four weeks!

Speaking of puppy, our new addition to the household, Sunshine the Yellow Lab Mix, was very entertaining today. She was getting a little too rambunctious in the house, so I opened the sliding door to the back porch so she could get to her doggy door. Thought perhaps she would entertain herself outside for a few minutes. Well she found plenty of fun (and trouble!) right on the porch! Suddenly, she raced back into the house with big chunk of dirt and pine mulch from a planter. So I closed the slider with her out there so she would have the choice of the porch or outside, and would have to "ask" to come back indoors.

When I returned to let her in - about ten minutes later - I didn't realize until AFTER she stepped through the doorway that she was covered in the dark topsoil from the blueberry bush planter! It was on all four of her feet and even on her butt! She must have been digging in and even SITTING in the planter! Fortunately, she did not eat or destroy the blueberry bush (no fruit on it at this time). Well, thank goodness I had some paper towels handy and was able to clean her up before she got too far into the house.

Later, we went to the mailbox together and just about ten seconds after we got back to the covered front porch, rain suddenly began pouring down. It's thunder and lightning now, and Sunshine is calm and resting by my feet.

Thankful

Robert was home for the long weekend. We enjoyed spending time together and watching neighborhood fireworks with friends. Robert didn't get to relax much, because he was busy fixing the garage door and water softener, adding more panels to the backyard fence and double-checking my Corolla's brakes. I am so thankful for all he does.

Blueberries

Well, I went to the Blueberry Jamboree in Hudson today. This is a new event and was quite small. It was held at the Rotary Pavillion area near Safety Town off of SR 52. There is a large parking lot there; they were charging $5, but I parked a short distance away in a free area.

I spent $5 on farm-fresh blueberries, another $5 on two blueberry plants (growing advice from the experts included). I also bought some glazed nuts and some pretty butterfly hair clips. They actually look like real butterflies and even move a bit like them!

There was a bouncy house for kids and there a band was warming up on stage getting ready to give a free concert. There were vendors selling kids' accesories and clothes, other kinds of plants, and home decor items. I stayed just a short time, because as I said it was small - and you could see everything during a brief stroll.

Even though they had the fresh blueberries and plants that expected, I was a little surprised that they didn't have more food and drinks. I would have thought someone would have made some blueberry baked goods or smoothie beverages. They didn't even anything suitable for lunch either - just the glazed nuts, bottled beverages and some bagged potato chips and such. I really didn't have to have lunch there, since I was so close to home, but I thought that was a lost revenue opportunity for the vendors.

Some of the proceeds from the parking and things sold at the event are being donated to an organization that rescues neglected horses.

I kind of like that the event was small and low-key; good for an individual who wants to stop by for a short time or for a family with very small children or older folks who just want a relaxing afternoon. I missed the free evening concerts, but I think those were probably the highlight of the event.

I hope they repeat the Blueberry Jamboree next year and that they add some blueberry treats for sale.

A certain age

I had a great weekend celebrating my birthday and Easter. Had friends over on Saturday; we ate birthday cake and other goodies, chatted about the good old days and listened to lively music. Guests ranged in age from a very tall 7 year old up to some 60-something retirees. I received flowers, generous coffee and restaurant gift cards, lots of edible treats, and thoughtful greeting cards. Best of all, hubby has been home from the road for several days. He really made the party work, both on a practical and emotional level. It was my best birthday in a long time!

On Easter Sunday, April 24 (my actual birthday) we went to church where Father Mike's musical skills added to the joyous celebration. He sang the Eucharistic prayer and a song called "He's Alive." For the latter song, Mike accompanied himself flawlessly on the guitar.

Sunday night, I got a free dinner at "Crazy Buffet" in Tampa and Robert got his money's worth by going back to the buffet five times!

I also enjoyed long telephone conversations with my brothers. I never get tired of talking to them! I am so grateful to live in a time and place where we have access to technology which allows us to keep in touch over the miles that separate us.

On Monday, it was time for doctor's check-ups for both of us. I got the unpleasant, though not unexpected news that I've reached that certain age where it's a good idea to get screened for colon cancer - you know, that scope procedure.

As we left the doctor's office for another appointment, we ran into a sudden traffic jam on Massachusetts Avenue. Reminding me of my recent "milestone" birthday, as if on cue, the infamous "Red Hat Ladies" were gathering for a luncheon at the Spartan Manor in their unmistakable red-and-purple garb.

Monday night, friends took us out for fajitas at Sioux City. Can't beat good food, good company, a shared brownie sundae with a candle, and another birthday song. As we looked out the window during the meal, we saw a fabulous, huge rainbow.

Robert's getting ready to return to the road. Meanwhile, I am on Spring Break and we are organizing things around the house.

We have tomatoes started on the back porch, it's 77 degrees and sunny here in New Port Richey, Florida. Life is good. <3

~~Renée~~

Well, I know some of you are wondering why in heck I drove all the way to Tennessee on a Friday afternoon and evening and back to Florida on Saturday morning!

Robert needed to get home to take care of some paperwork, things around the house, routine doctor's appointments and of course, most of all, he had to get home for Easter and my birthday!

As it worked out, he was able to do that by leaving his truck in the nearest company terminal to his last delivery; the terminal is out in the Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee. He looked into renting a car, but the cost was astronomical and he would have had to find a way (probably a pricey cab ride) to get to the nearest rental car place which was at an airport at least 35 miles away. It isn't possible to get a train or bus to Florida from this particular town, and even if there were, he would not have been able to take all the personal belongings from his truck. You see, when a trucker is off for more than a few days, the company can’t guarantee he gets the same truck back! So he wouldn’t have been able to carry a mini-fridge, microwave, radio, navigation system, personal items and 4 weeks worth of laundry on a bus!

So, I drove to Tennessee to pick him up. It took about ten hours and I got there after midnight. I was quite grouchy about the whole thing because I hadn’t been feeling well for a few days (a woman thing) and was already tired from school paperwork and FCAT testing.

Robert drove on the way back, with our little car stuffed to the gills, while I tried to sleep. We arrived home around noon, exhausted. We spent a daunting sum on gasoline, but it was still a big savings over any other mode of transportation. Thank goodness for 24-hour travel-stops with clean restrooms!

On the plus side, Robert is home early and will stay through the day after Easter. He is going to check the brakes and transmission on our car as they seem to be working less than perfectly.

I'm glad that Robert is home and that we will have a little more time together than expected! When he wakes up, I will have plenty of things to add to the honey-do list.

Happy Holy Week!

Renée

A moment of faith

Yesterday, someone spotted the large St. Benedict's crucifix that I was wearing, and said, "Are you a Christian?" When I responded, "Yes!" this person said, "Well, I'm an atheist," and seeing no reaction, then decided to up the ante by stating, "no, I mean I believe in the Devil, and he will kill everyone!"
It was obvious that the person sought an emotional reaction, but I felt an overwhelming calm and said, "The Devil cannot do anything to me, because Jesus died to save me and all believers." For once, this person fell silent.

Sunday cooking

We have a busy week ahead, so I cooked some things today which we can re-heat and eat all week.

Made "Easy Quiche" with eggs, 1% milk, 2% cheddar, lean ham, asparagus and Jiffy baking mix. The recipe is quite like those Bisquick "impossible" pies. The double batch baked nicely in a large Pyrex dish and now we have sixteen servings for breakfasts to-go. It's tasty hot or cold and will give us the protein we need to start the day. Maybe not as healthy as oatmeal, but it is much better and cheaper than something from 7-11 or Dunkin' Donuts.

I also made lots of chili for lunches, based on a modified Betty Crocker recipe I got from my school's home ec teacher. It has just a touch of unsweetened cocoa as part of the spice blend! We had some of it over elbow macaroni for supper tonight.

Robert made yummy chicken salad out of rotisserie chicken leftovers. Now don't think we are strictly carnivores, we have salad to eat with all of these and I baked some nice sweet potatoes and white potatoes to add to our lunches and suppers. We have bananas, little Forelle pears and large Braeburn apples for fruit this week. I also have the makings for a pumpkin dessert - I plan to use phyllo dough instead of a traditional pie crust, and will use a muffin tin to make them single serving size.

The goal is to eat home-cooked food as much as we can, even though we have a very hectic week and it would be tempting to simply pick up things on the run.

Good weekend

Yesterday, we got together with friends we hadn't seen in awhile and walked around a free street festival. The cold, dry weather made it even better. So nice to have the company of good friends and to be able to have a "date night" without spending tons of money.

Today, we began getting the second graders at church ready for the Christmas pageant. We talked about God's mercy, and the waiting-time of Advent, but the most fun for the kids was practicing the Christmas carols! Our church assigns the roles by grade, and I think our grade will be angels. The kindergartners always get to be the animals (no memorizing lines!).

Haven't had much time to post !

So much has happened in a couple of weeks! I finished two professional development trainings: one on CRISS - CReating Independent Student Strategies and the other in Classroom Management. Those were after school classes, so I was getting home around 8:30 p.m. What made the days really long is that Robert and I share a car, and he had to drop me off at work at 6:30 a.m., so we leave home an hour before that! I'm not on official duty until 8:30 a.m., but it is a very quiet time on campus when I can get some planning done.

Why so early? Robert is back at work! He's getting paid well and they are sending him to various job sites and keeping him busy. Let's hope and pray for a little increase in commercial building, so all of the electricians and other tradesmen can get back to work and stay employed!

There have been lots of challenges at school - the kind you would expect in an urban setting. Robert says that I need to write a book about it someday.

Today was pay-day for both of us! We were able to get two more tires for the car, having purchased the other two about a month or so ago. Our ride now feels safer and more comfortable! Next step - save up for a used truck or van so Robert and I can commute separately on the days when it would make life easier!

Tomorrow - Robert works and I do housework and "teacher planning stuff."

Rosary & other prayers

I found an inspiring YouTube channel for videos of Catholic devotional prayers such as the rosary and the chaplet of Divine Mercy.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mysaviormygod

If you thought that praying the rosary was just repeating prayers, these videos will help you learn about the important mysteries one is supposed to contemplate during the prayers. This one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS0xsCH4CtA uses good voice talents, music, film clips, and scripture quotes to help us focus on the message of the Joyful Mysteries. There are three videos just to cover the Joyful Mysteries; these remember the events that were joyful for the Holy Family, from the very beginning of Jesus' life on earth. There are other videos for the Glorious (Resurrection is one), Sorrowful (The Cross) and Luminous (follows Jesus from the River Jordan to the Last Supper) mysteries.

A detailed explanation of how to pray the rosary is found here:
http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm

Also note that you can listen to these prayers and scripture quotes (often set to music) at www.spiritfm905.com radio or www.ewtn.com radio or television. You can get Spirit FM 90.5 on regular broadcast radio throughout Tampa Bay and many cable systems carry EWTN TV.

Wandering 'round Wally World

Well, we went to Super Wal-mart this morning. It wasn't too crowded; perhaps some folks don't have as much money at the end of the month? I had to get some school supplies and we needed motor oil, air filters and a bunch of different things.

While wandering through the aisles, we saw a pair of young teenage boys. One was wearing a Halloween mask, obviously one on sale at the store, which he had not yet purchased. He said to us, "Hey, I like your mask!" Hilarious, of course, because we weren't wearing masks, we are just old (forty-something) people. So, I said, "Ha-ha, very funny," and continued with my shopping, ignoring them.

Saw them again, in a different aisle, racing around, now both with masks, wigs and a plastic trick-or-treat jack-o-lantern. They say, "trick-or-treat!" I said, "Ha-ha, sorry, I don't have anything."

You'd think that would have been the end of it, but no. One boy says, "Money would be just fine!" Hmm, cute little imp; just go right up to a stranger, while in disguise and ask for money! I said, "Sorry I don't have any money," and started to walk past them, trying to ignore them. Then one said, "Well, how are you going to pay for that stuff in your cart? Why don't you put some of it back?" Now I was getting pretty irritated. I told them that I was a teacher, but didn't say where, and told them I didn't want to play their silly games. Then, one said, "You see, all teachers are rude!" Okay, I'm the one who was rude in that situation, because it isn't rude at all to accost complete strangers at Wal-mart!

Made me think of Dennis the Menace. Mr. Wilson was irritable, partly because he was older and set in his ways, like many of us including me. But Dennis truly was annoying. The difference is that Dennis didn't mean to be annoying; he wasn't trying to incite ire for kicks and was apologetic when corrected.

Robert was in another part of the store by the time of the second encounter. I don't think these kiddos would have been so bold had Robert been within sight.